CHAPDISC: DH33, The Prince's Tale

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 184885

> Magpie:
> Going back on my own post here, but you're right Sirius does have
> some responsibility for concealing the Animagi part. He knows that
> Snape is being brave because he must think he'll at least be
> protected by whatever protects MWPP. Whether he imagines the werewolf
> is restrained or whatever, Sirius would pretty much assume that
> they'd get in there and Snape would be vulnerable while he, Sirius,
> could just turn into a dog. <SNIP>
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Ok, maybe you could explain to me how that changes anything. I mean,  
> if this information should change something , it should change 
> something for Snape's mindset, no? Obviously  even when Sirius tells 
> Snape this information he does not have kind thoughts towards Snape, 
> at the very least he wants him to be scared by werewolf, yes?
> 
> So, see above, I am just now sure how that changes anything for 
> Snape. I do not see how him knowing that Marauders hang with werewolf 
> and live suddenly translates into him thinking that this means there 
> will be less danger for him. They are all wizards, so obviously 
> Marauders came up with something, otherwise they would not have lived 
> to see the light of the day. Snape does not know what that something 
> is and goes there anyway.

Montavilla47:
What I hear you saying, Alla, is that Snape should have assumed that
because the Marauders were able to be in Lupin's presence during his
werewolf time, that they could do so because they had some superior
magic that he did not.  In which case, it's stupid for him to have gone
into the tunnel because.. hey... he *doesn't* have the magic!

What I hear Carol and Magpie and Leah saying is that they think 
Snape assumed that the "magic" (or other protection) was independent
of the Marauders.  In other words, he *didn't* assume that they had
superior magic to his.  He *assumed* that there was something
that protected them.  The most obvious thing that comes to my mind
is that he assumed that Lupin was either chained down there in the tunnel,
or kept in a cage.

Since we don't know what Snape actually thought, I think we're going
to end up splitting along the lines of whether we think Snape really
*did* deserve what he got or not.  

But I don't see how Sirius gets off without ill-intent towards Snape
here.  Yes, he's giving Snape the key to a room with a dangerous
thing in it that Snape is foolish to enter.  But,  if Sirius didn't think
Snape was going to be very surprised and frightened by what he
encountered, then there was little point to giving him the key in 
the first place.

Unless Sirius let it slip in the heat of an argument and the idea of
a "Prank" was his way of covering up his stupidity in giving away
the secret.  Which is dumb, but not really malicious, and I do find
that perfectly in character for Sirius.

On the whole, I prefer to lump everyone's actions under the general
heading of "dumb mistakes."  Because we see characters making
dumb mistakes thoroughout the series, in the present as well as the 
past.  Those dumb mistakes often have tragic consequences, but
it seems more charitable to assume that everyone is more stupid 
than evil.

Montavilla47